Interesting! I will watch for any further developments.Originally Posted by Katys Grandad
Interesting! I will watch for any further developments.
Maureen Green
Still over £1000 for next summers school holidays thoughAlthough it doesn't affect me I feel sorry for the families who have to go then.
Keith
Yep, if an economy flight to Florida costs more than £700, that's me out. I just refuse to pay it. I can get a fantastic villa in France with the first £1400 I've saved with the flight costs. I'd rather go to Florida any time, night or day, but not at any price. I guess the Airlines know what they're doing, or they don't have any choice, but this has to affect the number of holidaymakers choosing Florida. I'd be interested to know if other regions, like the far east see the same increases in airfares.
It's bringing the airfares within reach of competition from Transatlantic sailings...hmmmm, there's thought......
The Far East is a very different market - and benefits from passengers who are routing through hub airports, so would be less dependant on holiday makers. Trends there would not really be comparable with US as a whole and Florida in particular.
Not sure I can agree with that. Every single US carrier operates a hub system so that shouldn't be making much difference. In my view there is 1 main reason why flights from the UK to the US have risen so dramatically in recent times and that's the virtual elimination of competition.
Up until not so many years ago I could fly to the US from Manchester with AA, BA, Continental, United, US Airways, Virgin and Delta. Now BA has gone and has entered into an agreement with AA that, in effect, they won't directly compete with each other. AA will soon swallow up US Airways and Continental has merged with United. Delta has an agreement with Virgin so we won't see them compete. The outcome is what are seeing where we don't have any real choice of going elsewhere. I reckon fares have virtually doubled over the past 3 or 4 years as a result.
Now compare that with the rest of the world options I have. Etihad, Emirates and Qatar have all set up at Manchester alongside Singapore Airlines with far superior products and services to virtually everywhere in the Middle/Far East, Africa and Australasia and in direct competition with each other. Guess what? Real choice and competitive fares. I can fly on a new plane to Australia with Etihad for around £730 and the service is head and shoulders above any of the US bound options. If I'm prepared to connect in Heathrow I can add many more options. I'm traveling to Malaysia in January going out on Cathay Pacific and back on Qatar. I have no doubt the product will be in a different league from anything available across the pond.
It may be that transatlantic fares were falsely low a few years ago but the lack of real competition has sorted that out in the airlines' favour. I have to say that I don't see the position being reversed in the foreseeable future.
Last edited by Katys Grandad; 01-12-2013 at 08:34.
I have to agree with that. Not too long ago both my wife and I flew to Florida for a total of about £650 return (That was in November though) a flight to visit my son in Dubai was more.
Keith
KG
I would grab these flight quick if the dates work. The Virgin sale prices for a couple of days)
Fri 16 May
Sat 17 May
Sun 18 May
The selected return date isMon 19 May
Tue 20 May
Wed 21 May
Thu 22 May
Departure date
Fri 2 May
578.63
578.63
578.63
558.63
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649.63
Sat 3 May
578.63
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578.63
558.63
558.63
558.63
649.63
Sun 4 May
578.63
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558.63
558.63
558.63
649.63
Selected departure date
Mon 5 May
614.63
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614.63
594.63
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686.63
Tue 6 May
558.63
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558.63
538.63
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629.63
Wed 7 May
558.63
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558.63
538.63
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629.63
Thu 8 May
649.63
649.63
649.63
629.63
629.63
629.63
721.63
Table not displaying properly but eg 6-20th is £538.63 These are Manchester to Orlando
Babblin Boo
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